


Taken

by Jacie_popslash (Jacie)



Category: NSYNC, Popslash
Genre: Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe, Kidnapping, M/M, Roommates, Theatre
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-01-06
Updated: 2004-01-06
Packaged: 2018-01-02 12:38:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1056848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacie/pseuds/Jacie_popslash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lance gets kidnapped, then finds love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Taken

The night didn’t start out much differently than other nights Lance had experienced lately. It was dark out and his heart was still pumping with excitement. Having finished another performance of _Oklahoma_ , he and Joey had gone out to dinner with another friend, Christina. A late dinner. Joey had the lead, playing the part of Curly, while Lance was just a nameless cowboy when he strolled across the stage, but he still loved it. Christina was cast as Laurey.

They were in their sophomore year at college and had met the year earlier. Joey had been his first roommate. The only one really. They decided to rent an apartment together their second year at college. Lance had warmed up to Joey right away. Not only was he a talented actor and singer, but he was almost always good humored about everything. He also didn’t have an issue with the gay thing, knowing that Lance was gay. Joey went out of his way to play protector of Lance and didn’t even get mad at all when certain other students began calling Lance his girlfriend. Joey had brushed it off with a laugh. Not that Lance would have minded dating Joey. He actually had grown rather fond of the guy. 

The only problem with that scenario was that Joey was straight. Completely and totally straight. In fact, that’s why they rarely drove together on play nights. Joey was always trying to get lucky. Tonight he was getting lucky with Christina. Lance had gone to dinner with them, then headed home, while Joey was going to head over to Christina’s place for a while. Lance didn’t expect to see his roommate before noon the next day.

It was quiet as he pulled into the small lot behind his apartment building. It was nearly two-thirty in the morning. After locking his car, Lance headed across the lot. He didn’t even notice the young man in the shadows. Not until he heard the voice.

“Lance? Lance Bass?”

Lance stopped and stared. He didn’t recognize the man at all. He was certain he hadn’t. The man was too beautiful for him to have forgotten. Slightly taller than Lance, the man wore a t-shirt with an alien on it, jeans, a lion pendant and a baseball cap with brown hair that curled at his neck. Lance swallowed. Wondering why this gorgeous man was looking for him at two-thirty in the morning, he replied, “Yes, I’m Lance Bass.”

Lance didn’t have time to turn, although he heard footsteps behind him. Rough hands grabbed him as a cloth was shoved over his mouth. His fingers loosened, dropping his keys to the pavement. Then darkness.

When he came to, Lance felt sore. His wrists were bound and he had been blindfolded. His body felt heavy and he couldn’t move his legs. He was on a bed. That much he could tell. He lay awake for several minutes, maybe an hour, then fell asleep.

The next time he awoke, Lance felt a hand running through his hair. He still couldn’t move, so he whispered, “Help me. Please help me.”

“You’re awake. Good. What can I get for you? Are you hungry?”

Lance licked his lips and listened to the voice.

“Are you thirsty?”

It was the pretty young man in the parking lot. Of that, Lance was certain. “I can’t move.”

“I know. We sort of kidnapped you. We can’t exactly just let you go.”

“I won’t run away. I promise. Just. It’s just uncomfortable.”

“I’ll ask.” 

Lance felt the bed rise as the other man stood up. “Wait. Wait. Please.”

“Yes?”

“Your name. I’d like to know your name.”

The hand returned to his hair. “I can’t tell you that, sweetie. No names. That’s rule number one around here. Are you sure you don’t need anything?”

“Bathroom?”

“Um. Sure. You promised not to run though, remember.”

Lance felt the man’s hands on him untying his legs first, then his wrists. Next he felt the man’s hands on his shoulders and back, helping him to sit up. Lance felt woozy, like he had drank too much the night before.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“A little numb.” Lance reached up to his blindfold, but the man’s hands stopped him. He was so close, Lance felt the man’s breath on his lips.

“Don’t. Lance. The blindfold stays on.”

Losing control of his emotions, Lance felt tears seep from his eyes. Then he leaned forward, managing to make contact with the other man. Lance only hit the edge of the other man’s mouth at first, but then adjusted and kissed him fully on the lips. The man kissed back and seemed to be smiling. Lance felt a hand reach up to cup his cheek.

“I thought you needed to use the bathroom?”

“I wanted to see if I was dreaming.”

“Are you?”

“I think so. I’d like to know your name though.”

“I’ll tell you what. You can choose a name for me. Anything you want. Can you stand up?”

The man steadied Lance as he rose to his feet, then guided him from behind as Lance began to move. He was thinking. He had to come up with a good name for this beautiful man. He wished he could take the blindfold off and see that face once more.

When they reached the bathroom, Lance blushed as the man helped him unzip his jeans and aim properly. The man stood close, warm against his back. Lance could feel the lion pendant against his shoulder and the man’s hard cock against his ass. Lance moaned. The man whispered warm breath across his neck.

“Are you okay, Lance?”

“Yes. Yes. Thirsty. Can I brush my teeth?”

“Did you think of a name for me yet?”

“I was thinking, Leo. Is that okay?”

“Fine.”

The man took Lance’s hand in his, guiding him to take a toothbrush and move it to his mouth. It was a little sloppy and the newly named Leo laughed softly. Lance felt better afterward. At least his mouth felt fresh and Leo had allowed him to drink a glass of water. The man’s hands were soon back on Lance’s hips, guiding him back to the room with the bed.

“Can I feel your face?”

Leo laughed, “Why?”

“I want to see you, but you won’t let me take the blindfold off.”

Lance felt another hand reach for his then guided it across a face. Lance was sure, this was the beautiful man in the parking lot. He was smiling. Lance traced his lips with his thumb.

“Leo, you are an amazingly beautiful man,” Lance whispered.

Once again his cheek was cupped. “You are too, Lance.”

“Are you gay? I mean, when I kissed you, you didn’t seem to mind.”

“Yes, I like men.”

“Can I kiss you again? Can you stay here with me for a while?”

“Lance. Okay, but I have to put the handcuffs back on you. If you got away, or took your blindfold off, I would be in a lot of trouble.”

“I already promised I wouldn’t run. And I remember your face from the parking lot. You have blue eyes and brown hair.”

“You should try to forget.”

Lance felt himself being pushed onto his back, then his arms being stretched over his head. The handcuffs clicked locked and held his arms in place. Then he felt the other man’s body lay close to his. Warm. A hand touched his thigh, then moved to his back and warm, moist breath blew across his face briefly. Although he was expecting it, he wasn’t prepared for the kiss. Lance moaned quietly, allowing Leo to kiss him and rub his hands across Lance’s body. Lance didn’t even mind the handcuffs and blindfold that much, but he wished he was naked. He wished he could feel Leo’s touches on his bare skin. He shivered.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. You’re a good kisser. And it’s been. It’s been a long time,” Lance sighed.

A hand began to rub Lance’s crotch. “How long has it been?”

Lance moaned.

“Can I do something for you?”

“Yes,” Lance whispered. “Anything.”

Seconds later, Lance felt his pants being tugged off followed by his underwear, then he felt his cock being licked then slipped into the warm, wet mouth of the beautiful man. Lance wanted so badly to see the man, but closed his eyes, despite the blindfold. “So good,” he whispered. “Feels so good.”

“Only gets better, baby.”

Lance was heavily panting when the door creaked open. Although his shaft slipped out of Leo’s mouth, he soon felt a hand pumping it. His hips thrust as he moaned.

“What are you doing?” Lance didn’t recognize the voice.

“You said to make him comfortable. I’m just making him more comfortable,” Leo replied.

“Fine. Just make sure he eats something. And not you. He needs to eat food.”

Lance came soon after he heard the door close once more.

Leo slapped him on his hip. “I have to get you some food. What are you hungry for?”

Licking his lips, Lance thought for a second before asking, “Could you just hold me for a minute first? I’d. It would make me feel better. More comfortable.”

“Sure.”

Once again he felt the warm body beside his and long arms wrapping around him. They slept together for two hours. Lance awoke feeling lips pressed against his.

“I have to get you something to eat.” 

With that, Leo scrambled off the bed, closing the door as he left. When he returned, he sat on the bed next to Lance and declared, “We have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips, milk and an apple for dessert. How’s that sound? You hungry?”

“That’s fine.” Lance’s stomach growled. “Can you release my hands?”

“No, no, baby. I will serve you lunch. Just think of yourself as an ancient Roman Emperor and I’m your slave. I’ll feed you. First let’s get you settled better.”

Lance heard a tray being set down on a table. Next he felt hands tugging his body trying to move him up into a sitting position. “Ouch!” he shrieked. “My arms are breaking.”

“Oh, sorry about that. I’ll be right back.” 

“Leo, don’t go,” he called, but he heard the door open and close again. 

A short time later, the door reopened and he heard two sets of footsteps enter. 

“I think I can fix this. I’ll be right back.”

It was the voice of the man who had walked in when Leo was giving him a blow job. The bedsprings squeaked as Leo sat beside him. Fingers threaded through his hair.

“I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m kind of new at this.”

“Is that other guy your boss?”

“I guess you could say that.”

“What’s his name?”

“No names. If you want to pick a name for him, go ahead.”

Leo bent over and kissed Lance’s forehead.

“Jesse.”

“Good choice.”

The newly named Jesse soon returned. “Lance, it’s important that you don’t fight us. We don’t want to hurt you. If you fight us, you’re going to get hurt and that’s the last thing we want. So just relax, okay? Don’t fight. Don’t struggle. Just lie still. Okay?”

Lance took a shaky breath and nodded. He cooperated as they released his arms, then brought them to his side. Once again he felt hands positioning his body and he was moved into a seated position. This time his hands were cuffed separately and then were fastened to the side boards of the bed. They left enough slack that he could move between sitting and laying down, but not enough for him to reach for the blindfold. When he was settled, he felt someone sit beside him on the bed.

He heard Leo’s voice. “He’s given you a name, too. Jesse. He calls you Jesse.”

“He shouldn’t be getting attached to us.” 

The door closed once more.

Lance soon realized that his lunch had been cut into bite sized pieces before it was brought in for him, except for the chips. Leo used his fingers to gently place chunks of food into Lance’s mouth. Lance tried to suck on those fingers as often as he could.

When the meal was over, Lance gained the courage to ask, “What are you guys doing? Why did you take me?”

“Your father owns Bass Oil. We need money. That’s all. We don’t want to hurt you, but we needed some cash. Your family has it. We’re only asking for fifty thousand. We figured that’s enough to help us out for a while and won’t be too much of a burden on your family or the business. We figured he’d pay fifty grand pretty quickly. You will be our guest until he pays it. We were hoping he got the notice early enough to get to the bank today, and we’d have you back home tonight, but I think we missed that. Looks like you’ll be with us at least until Monday. But I’ll take care of you. As long as you cooperate and behave, I promise you won’t be hurt.”

“That’s why I can’t see you, right?”

“Yes. And no names.”

“What day is it?”

“Still Saturday. About four in the afternoon. We’ll feed you again tonight, before you go to sleep. Anything you would like?”

“Not peanut butter. I hate eating the same thing twice in one day.”

Leo leaned in to kiss Lance’s cheek. “Why don’t you rest a bit? I’ll be back later.”

“Can’t you stay?”

“My turn to do the dishes. You’ll have company. You can name him too, if you want.”

“How many of you are there?”

“Just three. Three that are here. Me, Jesse and this other guy. We’re in charge of taking care of you while we wait for the money.”

Lance heard Leo depart and someone else come in. This one didn’t speak. 

Lance tried to sleep, but he was cold. He was still naked from the waist down. “Hey, please. Could I have a blanket? I’m cold.”

He heard the dresser drawers being opened and closed, then heard the door open. “Hey C, where are the blankets?”

“No names! Dammit!” Jesse sounded pissed.

“Sorry. He’s cold.”

Lance heard more shuffling about. Then heard Leo tell the other man, “He calls me Leo and him, Jesse. Just use those names. Okay?”

“Sure. Thanks.”

A blanket was thrown across Lance’s chest and legs. “You going to name me, too?”

The voice sounded younger. Definitely younger than Jesse. Jesse must be the one in charge. “You may pick a name if you’d like.”

“Cool. You can call me Emilio. Like the actor.”

The routine, such as it was, didn’t change much. They brought him meals. He was escorted to the bathroom whenever he asked. Someone was always in the room with him, although they rotated the shifts. Neither Jesse or Emilio tried anything with him. Not that Leo did either. But he would lie beside Lance and would hold him and kiss him when he was asked.

He had counted the meals. Either they fed him more than three times a day, or it was Monday evening and Lance was still here. He was curious, but never got the chance to ask. Emilio was in his room again when he heard the door open and Leo and Jesse walk in together. The blanket was pulled off his body and he heard a tray set down.

“Oh, we can’t do this,” Jesse noted. “Where are his pants?”

“Oh, um, right here.”

“Put them back on him.”

Lance did his best to help as Leo pulled his pants back on and fastened them. Although he didn’t wish to incur the wrath of Jesse, he whispered to Leo, “What’s going on?”

“Your dad wouldn’t pay the ransom. He wants proof that we have you and that you’re still alive, so we’re going to take a few pictures to send to him. It’ll be okay. You’re just going to be here a little longer than we anticipated.”

Lance couldn’t hold back the sob. Leo pulled him into the hug. “It’s going to be okay, baby. Everything will be okay.”

“What if he won’t pay? Are you going to kill me?”

“No, no baby. I told you, we are not going to hurt you. I promise. He’s going to pay. I know he will. And we’ll take real good care of you until then. Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

“Can I take a shower?” Lance hadn’t showered since Friday morning. He felt filthy and stinky.

“He’s right. He should shower before we take pictures. Take him to the bathroom.” It was Jesse’s voice.

He felt his restraints being released as Leo asked, “How do we shower him? He can’t shower with the blindfold on.”

“I know. Look, Lance, we’ll put you in the bathroom and you can take your blindfold off to shower. You’ll need to put it back on before you come out though. Okay?”

“Yes.”

Leo escorted him to the bathroom and gave him a towel. “I’ll see if I can find you some clean clothes. Yours are kind of rank and it would be a shame for you to have to wear them when you get out of the shower.”

“Thank you.”

Lance waited until the door was shut before he removed the blindfold. The light was too harsh for his eyes and he had to squint. Before he was out of the shower, he heard the door open.

“Who’s there?”

“It’s Leo. Don’t worry, I found a ski mask to wear.”

“I told you, I remember your face. Too beautiful to forget.”

“I told you to forget it. Jesse would be very unhappy if he knew. Please, just forget.”

Lance remained silent, but knew he would never forget that face. When he got out of the shower, he met Leo’s eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes. He just stood and stared for a moment. Leo smiled, his eyes crinkling up at the corner. Lance couldn’t stop himself from stepping forward and kissing. He couldn’t believe how perfect Leo felt in his arms. He closed his eyes thinking of all the months he’d been looking for someone he wanted to date, someone to make love to, and he knew he had found him. And the perfect man for him was a criminal. A kidnapper and who knew what else. Lance still couldn’t help himself. Leo’s kisses were too sweet. Lance held him tightly and leaned forward until their foreheads rested together. Those eyes. Those twinkling blue eyes.

“Please make love to me.”

“Lance, we really shouldn’t.”

“Please? I want you so much.”

“I’ll make you a deal, okay? You get dressed and we’ll take some pictures for your dad and you think about this. And if you still want me to be with you, we can do something about it on my next shift, okay? We have a deal?”

“Yes,” Lance whispered, leaning in to kiss again.

Jesse photographed Lance’s dirty clothes, just so his friends would recognize them as what he was wearing when he disappeared. Then he photographed Lance laying on the bed wearing the blindfold along with a sweatshirt and sweat pants that Leo had found for him. Then Jesse snapped three pictures of Leo feeding Lance, with only Leo’s arm visible. After that he told Leo to put the ski mask back on and snap some pictures with the blindfold off, so they could see Lance’s face and be sure it was him. He was to remain handcuffed, but they would place a newspaper on his lap to prove what day it was.

Lance asked Leo if he could finish his meal with the blindfold off, since Leo was still wearing the mask. He never took his eyes off of Leo’s eyes.

“I’m not wearing the mask while we’re making love. I mean, if you still want to do that.”

Lance sucked on Leo’s finger before responding, “Most definitely still want to.”

“Do you mind bottoming? Just, with you chained down and all that might be easier.”

“Fine. Fine.”

Lance had already asked to have the sweatshirt removed, before they had restrained him again. He thought it was too hot, especially with a blanket covering him. Leo quickly removed the sweat pants, then began to put Lance’s blindfold back in place.

“Please, before you do that, will you strip for me? I want to see your body. Please?”

“I could get into a lot of trouble.”

“Please?”

“Only if you promise to forget. You have to forget my face and my body. You cannot recognize me, okay?”

“Yes.”

“You forget this place and you forget our voices, okay?”

“All forgotten.”

Lance almost cried when he saw Leo’s naked body before him. So beautiful. He was tearing up because he wasn’t going to be allowed to touch or to kiss. Leo was already reaching for the blindfold. “I’m sorry, baby, but it has to be this way.”

“I know.”

Lance didn’t struggle, but sometimes his body pulled against the restraints as it responded to Leo’s touches. The man was taking his time to enjoy this and to make sure Lance enjoyed it. His hands caressed Lance’s body as if they were worshiping it. Lance moaned feeling the texture of Leo’s tongue against his skin, lapping at him, caressing him. He gasped as one nipple was gently bitten, then the other, before they were both given a tongue bath. It was all so good. He was still panting when Leo pushed away, but returned moments later, after retrieving something from a dresser drawer.

When Lance felt a finger enter him, he arched back and allowed his legs to open freely. Although it had been a while, it still felt good. Soon he felt a second finger sliding in. Leo kissed him and kept the movements slow and languid, effectively keeping Lance at a slow boil.

After the fingers were pulled away, Lance felt a tongue licking from his dick, up through his abs and chest, up his neck and landing at his lips. After a soft kiss, the tongue slid into Lance’s mouth, still moving slowly. Lance was so distracted by the kiss, and the hands roaming from his waist up to his arms, that he barely noticed Leo penetrating him. Lance arched his back again, exposing his neck. Leo licked down it, then sucked, first at Lance’s Adam’s apple, then beneath his left ear. Lance heard the sucking sounds and realized they were matching Leo’s strokes. 

Lance heard voices in the other room and thought he recognized one. “Joey?” he called out. “Joey?”

Lance whimpered when he felt Leo pull his lips away.

“Are you okay baby?” Leo asked breathlessly.

“I thought I heard Joey’s voice.”

“Who’s Joey?”

“My roommate.”

“Boyfriend?”

“Never. He’s straight.”

“Well, you’re killing the mood here. It’s only Jesse and Emilio out there. If you want to stop, we can, but I thought this was feeling pretty good.”

“Yes, yes. It’s so good, so damn good. Please don’t stop. You’re so amazing.”

Lance was rewarded with more kisses and a hand pumping his cock. He came first. When Leo pulled out, Lance heard the removal of a condom. Leo kissed him once more. “I’ll be right back. I need to flush the evidence.”

Lance nodded. He was unable to speak. When he heard the door open and close again, he felt Leo’s still naked body lay next to his, an arm thrown across his waist. “Baby, you like to cuddle after, or do you want me to leave?”

“Stay. Please stay. I like to cuddle afterward. Please stay with me. I’d like it if you slept with me. Overnight. Can you do that?”

“Sure baby.”

When Lance awoke, Leo was gone. Jesse was in the room with him. Then it was Emilio’s turn. Lance asked Leo to sleep with him again that night. He thought that as long as he was fed, allowed to bathe and had Leo to make him feel good, this wasn’t all that bad.

Wednesday night, Leo brought him a glass of Kool-aid late in the evening, holding him up to drink it. Lance hadn’t drank Kool-aid for quite a while, but this wasn’t quite how he remembered it. This had a bitter aftertaste to it. He tried shaking his head, so he didn’t have to drink it, but Leo put the glass back to his lips.

“You have to drink it, Lance. You have to drink it all.”

“Oh God, you’re killing me,” Lance sobbed. “You’re killing me. Why? Why?”

“No, Lance, no. Please. It’s only a sleeping powder, baby. I promised we wouldn’t hurt you. Your dad paid the ransom, so we’re going to take you back. I swear this will only put you to sleep and when you wake up you’ll be fine and free and this will all seem like a dream.”

Lance continued to sob, “I don’t want to leave you. I love you. I don’t even know your real name, but I love you. Please don’t send me away.”

“Lance, we have to. He paid. You have to remember your promise, okay? We didn’t hurt you like we promised, now you have to forget everything like you promised. You can’t remember anything about us, or this place or anything. Okay? Promise me.”

“I don’t want to forget you.”

“Please Lance, promise me.”

“Will you kiss me while I go to sleep? Then maybe all I’ll remember is a beautiful dream. Please?”

“Yes, baby. You promise to forget and I’ll kiss you, until you fall asleep.”

“I promise.”

Leo held up the glass for Lance to finish the Kool-aid, then set the glass down and leaned in to kiss Lance. He held the kiss and caressed Lance’s face until Lance’s body relaxed into sleep.

When Lance woke up, he was in his own bed at his own apartment. His lips were still tingling. His mind was still foggy as Joey shoved some clothes at him and told him to get dressed. Lance was naked. In bed and naked. He began to wonder if it was all a dream. 

“Joey, what day is it?”

“Thursday morning. We need to take you to the hospital and make sure you’re okay. I already called your parents. They’re going to meet us there. And the police.”

“The police?”

“You were kidnapped. Don’t you remember?”

“No. I don’t remember anything. Just the play on Friday night.”

“Really?”

“Really. No, we went to dinner afterward. I think.”

And that was the story Lance stuck with even when he was questioned by the police. He didn’t remember anything hardly. What he did remember was all a blur, like a dream that never completely gelled.

A month later, Joey was on the phone arguing with someone. After a few minutes, he walked into Lance’s room. “I’m going to dinner at my brother’s place. My stepbrother. You remember Chris, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I think we met once or twice.”

“He wants to set you up with his ex.”

“What for?”

“Thought you two would hit it off. Look, Lance, why don’t you come to dinner and if you don’t hit it off with the guy, you can leave, I’ll bring you right home. If you dig the guy, maybe you two can go out. Totally up to you.”

“I still don’t understand why your stepbrother wants me to date his ex.”

“You know Chris is nuts. Nice, but nuts. Besides, they still live together.”

“What?”

“They’re good friends, but the dating thing didn’t work for them. They’re not sleeping together anymore. And Chris’ other stepbrother lives there, too. Just, let’s humor them okay? Chris says the guy is totally hot.”

Lance shrugged and dressed for dinner.

Joey drove. His stepbrother lived about ninety minutes away, but had come to watch a couple plays Joey was in. That was how Lance had met him. Chris had always been alone though. Lance thought about Chris. He was sort of short and was sporting a bit of a beer belly. Lance thought he was cute enough though, dark hair, dark penetrating eyes, handsome face. Yeah, Chris wasn’t bad looking. He could get a cute guy, Lance supposed. Joey said Chris was a nice guy and a lot of fun to hang out with.

Joey stopped his car in front of a house in a rundown neighborhood. The paint was peeling and the yard had only patches of grass here and there. Two cars were in the driveway. Lance got out and followed Joey. When they got to the porch, Joey knocked on the door. A blond boy answered.

“Hey Joey. Come on in.”

“Lance this is Justin, Justin, this is my roommate, Lance.”

Lance nodded, thinking Justin wasn’t exactly his type, but he was okay. Joey indicated that Lance should enter first. “Justin is Chris’ stepbrother from the other side.”

“Other side?” Lance asked as he took a seat on the couch.

“Justin’s mom is married to Chris’ dad. Chris’ mom is married to my dad. None of us are related by blood. Chris needed a roommate and Justin wanted to move out, so they found this house to rent. They both have motorcycles in the garage. When Chris was dating JC, they talked about him moving in, but he had his own place, a studio loft somewhere. He’s a painter. After they broke up, they stayed friends and kept in touch. They had an extra room, so he moved in here, so he could have his studio loft to be just his art studio.”

Chris walked in carrying beers. “I see you’re catching him up on everything.”

“Yeah, how’s it going, Chris?”

“Things are good. JC isn’t home yet. He’s running a little late, but he’ll join us soon.”

A few minutes later, the phone rang, Justin answered it. “That was JC. He sends his apologies, but he’s going to miss dinner. He said he is still anxious to meet Lance and wants us to all meet at the bar on tenth street after dinner.”

Lance found Chris and Justin to be gracious hosts, both fun and entertaining. At first he wasn’t sure he wanted to stay out late and go to a bar, but he decided JC must be an okay guy, if Justin and Chris both liked him. They both spoke highly of him. Justin had even winked and said JC was the cutest gay guy he knew.

The dinner was good and the only inconvenience was when Lance excused himself to use the bathroom and Chris confessed their toilet was broken. “We’ve been hitting the tree outside. You might want to just wait until we get to the bar. Or you can use the tree, if you want.”

“I think I can wait until we reach the bar.”

Joey drove everyone, since JC had his car with him. Between JC and Joey, they would get everyone home.

Lance made note of where they sat, then headed into the bathroom. When he was washing his hands, he felt someone was standing behind him. Looking into the mirror, he could only stare at the face that stood behind him. It was Leo, right down to his lion pendant, that Lance had remembered when choosing the name.

“You!” Lance nearly shouted. 

He watched in the mirror as the man stepped closer and wrapped his arms around Lance. “You promised to forget,” he whispered, licking Lance’s ear.

“You promised not to hurt me.”

“We didn’t hurt you.”

“You broke my heart. You made me fall in love with you, then you sent me home.” Tears were starting to appear in Lance’s eyes. One strayed down his cheek.

“I’m yours if you want me.”

“How? You’re a criminal.”

“Not really, baby. Starving artist. If you promise to play nice we can be together, you and me. I love you, too, Lance. I love being with you. We’ll even give you a share of the money. Even split. For ten grand you get me and we get your silence. I swear we won’t ever hurt you or take you again. We just needed some cash.”

“Even split? Who else is in on this? You, Emilio, Jesse and who else?”

“That night you heard a voice when we were making love, you were right. Baby, you were right.”

Lance thought back, but couldn’t remember.

“Just remember your promise.”

Joey. He had heard Joey’s voice. “Chris and Justin, they’re Jesse and Emilio, aren’t they?”

JC held him tight and sucked just below Lance’s left ear. “I love you. Just remember that. Remember your promise and I will love you forever. Let’s go see the others.”

As he approached the table, JC guiding Lance, with a hand on his back.

Joey looked up, smiling. “I see you’ve met JC. What do you think?”

Lance took his seat and stared at JC, smiling himself. “I think this could be a really good match. I think we just might hit it off.” Then he looked at Chris, “Your toilet isn’t really broken, is it?”

Chris and Justin laughed.

JC smiled and gave Lance’s hand a squeeze under the table.

~ END ~  
1/6/2004   
© 2004 by Jacie


End file.
